Amidst a discouraging loss in their first quarter 2014 fiscal report, Barnes & Nobles renewed its commitment to its NOOK devices, hinting to at least one release scheduled for the holiday season and more under development. This is a complete U-turn from previous reports of the company axing its line of tablets.
Last June, Barnes & Nobles was reported to have said that it will license out its NOOK HD brand to other tablet vendors and maintain its focus on e-paper readers instead. CEO Michael Huseby, who took over the reigns just last July, claims that the statement was misinterpreted by the media. According to Huseby, what the company intends is to develop the NOOK devices itself, without relying on outside hardware partners.
Barnes & Nobles renewed its commitment to delivering NOOK products, both black and white and color versions. This includes the NOOK Simple Touch, NOOK Simple Touch with Glow Light, NOOK HD, and NOOK HD+. The company is aiming for a unified NOOK ecosystem, focusing on putting out content first and then providing low-cost ways to consume that content, such as with the NOOK devices. They are also looking towards delivering lower priced devices at higher volume.
Huseby states that at least one NOOK is scheduled for the holidays and that there are others currently in development. He assures fans of the devices that plans to sell off the company’s NOOK division has been put on hold and that the price cut that happened last month is merely an inventory issue and not a sign of company problems.
VIA: SlashGear
